The new Left Bank line of furniture and accessories from Ralph Lauren Home was inspired by the rich artistic heritage of that part of Paris—a place the company’s founder has come to know well. “Over the years my love for Paris has grown,” says Lauren, who in 2010 opened a destination clothing store and restaurant on the boulevard Saint-Germain and was made a Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur by the French government. The collection, featuring an eclectic mix of styles, from rough-hewn 19th-century French silhouettes to the streamlined burnished-metal forms of the early 20th century’s Machine Age, embodies “a sense of the artistic ease and creativity that flourished in Paris, particularly on the Left Bank,” Lauren says, and conjures “the fantasy of the artist in his romantic garret.”

Resembling the one-of-a-kind finds a modern artist might have picked up at Parisian flea markets, the pieces reference a broad range of influences, but special finishes and subtle twists add that Ralph Lauren polish. Steel-and-oak bookshelves on heavy-duty casters and an oak trestle desk look like discoveries from some long-forgotten workshop, their patinated surfaces seemingly worn from decades of use. Generous proportions and bold red linen upholstery update classic club chairs, and graphic stripes rendered in black and white bring a crisp, fresh note to a traditional bergère, bedding, and even earthenware dishes. One ebonized floor lamp, modeled on an old French wine-press screw, features an oversize wood base with hand-carved threads spiraling up to the top. In contrast, the smooth metal shell of a weathered-zinc sconce, sparked by a ship’s light, offers clean lines and a nautical touch. Meanwhile, distinguished accessories such as a chess set with brass and bronze playing pieces and a leather board promise to only improve with age.

Some of the furnishings are directly informed by historic objects the firm has used to outfit its fashion stores. A muscular dining table made from sandblasted-oak planks was designed after an antique table in the Saint-Germain store, and a factory-worthy pendant and sconce with baked-enamel finishes and meticulously machined hardware were inspired by vintage buys that had been repurposed for retail lighting. The collection also offers tactile pleasures, as in the woven sea-grass headboard and footboard of a four-poster, the rows of rivets running along the black leather seat of a camp chair with a wrought-iron base, and the hand-thrown texture of porcelain lamps that recall antique jugs.

To introduce the line, the company crafted a convincingly atmospheric Paris loft (pictured here) in its home-collection showroom in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. The design involved sourcing robust timber beams for the ceiling, adding a sculptural spiral staircase, and installing weathered doors and windows with a remarkable sense of age. Even the fabricated view of Parisian rooftops on a drizzly day appeared perfectly realistic. Visiting the space, which was arrayed with a well-curated selection of art, books, and personal items—cameras, pencils, sketchbooks, and bottles of wine that offered hints of the imaginary occupant’s disposition—was like getting a fleeting glimpse into the home of a fascinating but elusive character.

The blend of styles and periods in the Left Bank collection forms an evocative whole that brims with surprises. “There is the quality and subtlety of the antique painted finishes, but also the mix of the rustic and sophisticated, the industrial with a certain refinement,” Lauren says. “I always love contradictions in everything I design.” ralphlaurenhome.com

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